Best Trees and Shrubs for Fall Color in Nebraska
Looking for the best trees and shrubs for fall color in Nebraska? You’ve come to the right place! Fall color is often among the most requested aesthetic attributes for shade, street, and specimen trees. It’s easy to see why. Large swaths of bright colors, backlit by a clear blue fall sky, can be breathtaking—who wouldn’t want a similar show in their yard? We’ll cover different color ranges typically expressed by our native flora and provide a selection of sizes to help you find something that fits your space. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll be overwhelmed and need to come stroll through our nursery on a warm, sunny, blue-sky fall afternoon to see the possibilities for yourself! But for now, let’s get you started.
Red, Orange and Burgundy: Trees for Bold Fall Color
Young autumn blaze maple. Photo credit: Arbor Day Foundation.
When people think about trees with red fall color, maples are usually among the first that come to mind.
The native red maple (Acer rubrum) and cultivars such as Red Sunset® can provide brilliant shades of red and orange, while Freeman maple hybrids such as Autumn Blaze® are known for reliable fall displays. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) adds rich yellow, orange, and sometimes reddish tones to the autumn landscape.
As spectacular as the show might be, however, maple fall color can be short-lived. In some seasons, leaves can turn brown or drop from the tree completely before other trees begin to show significant color.
Fortunately, maples are far from your only option. Looking beyond them not only expands your fall color palette but also adds valuable diversity to our community landscapes.
Look Beyond the Maple: Oaks for Fall Color
If you want native trees with fall color, don’t overlook the oaks! Although their annual display can be a bit more erratic—often due to the vagaries of late-summer and fall weather—oaks can provide beautiful autumn interest. Oak color tends toward darker reds, burgundy, and maroon, as often seen in red, scarlet, Hill’s, and Shumard oaks. Rather than the bright reds associated with maples, think deeper, richer fall color.
Depending on the species, oak leaves will often transition from their fall color to brown while still on the tree and can remain hanging deep into winter. That persistence adds texture and seasonal interest long after peak fall color has passed. For Nebraska landscapes, choosing an oak also provides something fall color alone cannot: a long-lived shade tree with significant ecological value!
Mature Shumard Oak.
More Colorful Trees to Consider
Maples and oaks may be fall standouts, but they aren’t the only trees capable of putting on a show.
Black cherry (Prunus serotina) provides profuse spring blooms favored by pollinators, followed by summer fruit for birds and wildlife. It caps off that multi-season display with beautiful shades of red and yellow in the fall.
Likewise, Prairifire crabapple begins its display with colorful spring flowers, develops small ornamental fruit, and finishes the growing season with lovely autumn color.
That multi-season interest is worth considering when choosing any tree. Fall color may draw you in, but flowers, fruit, wildlife value, bark, and winter structure can make a plant worth looking at throughout the year.
Red and Orange Fall Color for Smaller Spaces
Redwing Amer. Cranberry Viburnum leaves.
Are you in the market for gorgeous fall color but don’t have the space for a tree? We’ve got you covered! Some of the most spectacular fall color for small yards and landscapes comes from shrubs.
Chokeberries, for example, provide spectacular fall color in a variety of oranges and reds. Low-growing Ground Hug® (8–12 inches tall) makes a great front border for a shrub bed in full sun, while Low Scape Mound® (about 24 inches tall) or the taller Iroquois Beauty™ (5–6 feet tall) can provide similarly colorful intermediate or background plantings.
Need something a little larger? Red-osier dogwoods offer another size range. The green leaves of the red-osier dogwoods – either the straight species (8-10’tall) or the shorter Arctic Fire or Isanti cultivars – turn bright red in the fall, a theme that is continued into winter on their bare stems.
For taller shrub options, consider the viburnums. The tri-lobed leaves of American cranberrybush viburnum can turn bright red in full sun, while arrowwood viburnum tends toward deeper shades of red and burgundy. Together, these shrubs make it possible to bring red, orange, and burgundy fall color into the landscape whether you have room for an 8-inch groundcover-like shrub or an 8-foot specimen.
Find the Right Fall Color for Your Landscape
That’s a lot of options—and there are plenty more! And fall isn’t just a good time to admire these plants. Fall is also an excellent time to plant many trees and shrubs in Nebraska. Cooler air temperatures reduce stress on newly planted woody plants while warm soil can continue to support root growth.
So, what should you plant?
Come stroll through the nursery and see the fall colors for yourself. If you’re still not sure which tree or shrub fits your space, check in with us—we’ll help you find the right plant for your landscape.
